We like to believe that our society is open minded and accepting. But this is not always the case for everyone. Some people still experience prejudice in their lives and find themselves hampered by it. We believe that wherever you live you should have the same opportunities as everyone else. The first step in such a world free of prejudice is to educate everyone on what prejudice is.

Prejudice is when you have a negative opinion of someone despite the fact that you don't even know them. Your opinion is based on your feelings about a particular group that this person belongs to, such as rich people who can afford to belong to exclusive clubs, the Asian race, or homosexuals, rather than who the person is as an individual. When you are prejudiced against someone, you dislike without having a good reason for it.

When someone is prejudiced against you, it affects your self esteem. You might start to develop doubts about your self worth because you feel like people look down on you for not having the same thing. Or you might become angry and lash out at the people who are judging you so unfairly. Either way, you are damaged by their opinions. If you have ever been judged unfairly you know how it feels, which is why you should try your best not to do the same to other people.

Prejudice can also cause some more concrete problems in society, because if you are prejudiced against someone, you might refuse to sell them products or services that they want, or give them a job at your company, or let them into your group of friends. You may even spread your negative opinions to others or actively attempt to block them from getting something that they want because you feel like they don't deserve it. To do so is not only unfair, but also against the law in many places.

You can recognize prejudice in yourself when you find yourself reacting negatively to someone you don't even know. If you catch yourself doing this, make a conscious effort to get to know the person and treat them fairly. If you notice someone else behaving unfairly to someone, speak to them about it. Perhaps they don't even realize that they are prejudiced and that it is hurting others. If they refuse to stop, report the activity.